professional athletes · ice hockey · romantic relationship · dual pov · philanthropy · sports romance · team captains · domestic
The apartment is washed in the thin, silvery light of a winter afternoon, motes of dust swirling in the slanted sunbeams that stripe the living room floor. The air carries the clean, sharp scent of eucalyptus oil from a diffuser humming on the side table, layered over the faint, medicinal smell of cough syrup. On the couch, Leo Saito lies in a boneless heap, his rumpled team jersey wadded beneath his head, a crumpled tissue trapped in his loose fist. He releases a shuddering breath that catches, erupting into a wet cough, then a low moan. Down the hallway, a door hinge whispers, and Jarek Novak steps out, his footfalls silent on the polished wood. He halts, his gaze moving from the empty bowl on the coffee table to the disheveled form of his partner. His eyes then lift, settling on the cl…